Lighter wick



lli .llikIlz; ...EEE- EBEE ll `l- U-H A. F. REILLY LIGHTER WICK `ll `llFiled Jan. 27, 1948 May 29, 1951 Patented May 29, n1951 LIGHTER WICK fAlfred r. Reilly, North Attleborm Mass., assignor to Evans Case Cog acorporation of'Massachui' Animation January 2r, 194.8,sorra1 No. 4,554

This invention relates to a pyrophoric lighter, and more particularly tothe control of the iiuid or fuel which is fed to the ignition point.

Inv a. pyroplloric lighterfit; is .usual for a wick to extend throughsome,` supporting structure mounted on the top wall ofi-the fueltank,1and if this wick is not tight in `this, supporting'structure,there may be a leak of the fuel from the fuel tank. Also, if there is aconsiderable exposed surface of the wick within the tank, fuel in excessof that which it is desired is picked up and transmitted to the ignitionto cause too large a flame.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a means of limitingthe amount of fuel which will be picked up from the fuel tank andtransmitted to the ignition point.

Another object of this invention is to provide this control by a coatingon the wick which will prevent the coated portion of the wick frompicking up fuel and transmitting it to the point of ignition.

Another object of this invention is to utilize the coating which isplaced upon the wick so as to provide a tight joint between the wick andthe supporting structure through which it extends.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement so thatthe wick itself may be constricted sufficiently to limit thetransmission of fuel through it.

Another object of this invention is to utilize, by the method ofcoating, an arrangement so that the coating may be tapered whereby itmay be more easily inserted into the tube, and then drawn up tight atsubstantially the desired point where it is desired to seal the wick inthe tubing.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates the dipping of a plurality of wicks into a coatingsolution;

Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating in a somewhat exaggeratedmanner the coating as it finally hardens upon one of the wicksillustrating the tapered effect or varying thickness of the coating onthe wick;

Figure 3 illustrates the wick as inserted in a tube which is in turnpositioned in the top wall of the lighter;

Figure 4 is a View illustrating the tube after it has been compressed soas to rmly mount the wick in the tube and to partially restrict thewick;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but illustrating the top end ofthe coating removed, such for instance as may occur after ignition ofthe wick; and

gomas. (o1. ,6r-t9) .i2 Figure is an elevation partly broken away tomore clearly show the wick and its tube mounted in a. pyrophoriclighter.

In proceeding with this invention, I dip a plurality of wicks. into thecoating solution' .and then suspend these `wicks to dry so that thevcoating solution willrnove downwardly upon each of them, which providesa tapered thickness of coating, the same hardening in this shape. Thewick willthen be drawn into a tube, such as shown in Figure 3, with itslargest end outwardly, and the arrangement is such that a good tight twill be provided in the tube. Thereafter, the tube will be crimped so asto rmly mount the wick in position, and then the whole will be mountedin a pyrophoric lighter. Lighting of the wick will burn off the coatingat its outer end leaving the coated portion in the tube and extending toa point short of the end of the wick, whereby the amount of wick exposedwill govern the pick-up of such an amount of fuel as is desired to betransmitted to the point of use.

With reference to the drawings, Il] designates a tank into which aplurality of glass wicks Il are dipped by the wicks being mounted in ablock l2 and being lowered into the tank a certain distance. The wicksare then suspended and allowed to dry after being lifted from the tank,which will cause a coating designated I3 to occur on the wick to a pointabout up to the point I4, the coating gradually increasing in thicknessfrom this point to the end I5. This coating will be of some sort ofmaterial which will prevent the wick from picking up the fuel in thefuel tank. A clear lacquer or a colored lacquer has been found to besatisfactory for this use.

A tube I6 of some ductile material is provided having a flange Il, andthe wick, coated as above described, is drawn into this tube with thelarge end I5 upwardly. (See Figure 3.) The taper will cause the wick tobecome tighter and tighter as drawn further into the tube, and thesizing is such that at the point shown in Figure 3, the wick will besufficiently tight to exclude air or prevent fuel in the tank fromextending along the inside of the tube outwardly. The tube is thencrimped as at I8 so as to rmly secure the wick in the tube which alsoconfines the wick structure so as to limit the passage of fueltherethrough as shown at I9.

The tube and wick are mounted in the pyrophoric lighter which has 'a topwall 2| and a wick-supporting member 22, by forcing the tube into thisportion 22, and thereafter removing the coating from the portion 2U,such as by burning. A snuffer 23 serves to engage the flange which isbent downwardly as at l1 so as to form a good tight seal therewith.'I'he snuier is moved to and from wick covering position by the lever24.

The end portion 25 up to a location substantially 26 is left uncoatedand it is this portion only that will pick up fuel from the fuel tank21. If less fuel is desired to be picked up, the uncoated lportion willbe made shorter. If a greater amount is to be picked up, the exposedportion will be greater. This will be governed in accordance with thecharacter of fuel used.

Claims to the sleeve with the restriction are the subject of myco-pending application Serial No. 213,770 filed March 3, 1951.

I claim: y

1. The method of forming a tight joint between a lighter wick and itssupporting tube which comprises coating the -wick with a surroundingcovering having a tapered Wall to provide a progressively increasingdiameter by dipping and hanging the same to dry, then drawing said wickinto the supporting tube, smallest end rst, until said taper fitstightly therein.

2. In a lighter, a fuel chamber having a top wall, a tube ofsubstantialv length extending through said top wall, a wick extendingthrough '4 said tube and'beyond the same at its opposite ends and acoating on said Wick, which coating is tapered as to thickness with itsthickest wall adjacent the outer end of the tube.

ALFRED F. REILLY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the l0 le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 212,309 Halvorson Feb. 18, 187915 1,672,919 Ward June 12, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date249,571 Great Britain Mar. 26, 1926 357,395 Germany Aug. 24, 1922507,854 France July 7, 1920 648,280 Germany July 27, 1937

